Greek 2000
by JoeyJoJo
Summary: Greek mythology, a bit modernized and different. It's sort of my own spin on mythology. YAY! I fixed it. I'm having a bit of a hard time about what to put in next. If anyone has ideas, please post in reviews. Please R&R, it is greatly appreciated :)
1. IntroAuthor's Note

I decided to modernize my Greek mythology stories a bit. Not have the characters all old and naked. They're all actually quite young-looking. Imagine Tuck Everlasting if you will. And I gave them names. It's a bit confusing at first, but once you get it, it's easy to follow. I've also made a few changes in it that differs from true mythology.  
1. Birth order, and it goes as follows: Hestia, Poseidon, Demeter, Zeus, Hera, Hades  
2. Some of the "rules" bestowed to the Gods, as will be shown later.  
3. The romances between the Gods. It shall turn out rather...interesting and unexpected.  
4. Speaking of romances, the whole brother/sister thing: They were THE Gods, it's not like they had a big choice or anything. At first anyway...  
  
And in case you get confused...  
  
Starting characters  
  
Zeus-Timothy  
Poseidon-Andrew  
Hades-Benjamin  
Hestia-Jenna  
Hera-Erica  
Demeter-Gwendolyn  
  
All the Gods and Goddesses had flaws, here's what the ones in my story had. So if you're wondering why they start acting weird, and don't know about Greek mythology, here's kinda of a quick summary of them. (I'm just talking now, and I have no idea what I'm saying...)  
  
Tim: He's a bit of a...well, man-whore, quite like Zeus  
Andrew: Flies off the handle (spaz, I guess you could say). Poseidon got really mad about dumb things.  
Benjamin: Depressed, gloomy, not appreciated, you get the idea.   
Jenna: She's Hestia. Hestia didn't even really have any big flaws. She actually couldn't stand all the fighting and jealousy.  
Erica: In my story she's depicted as slightly air-headed, but she's easily made jealous, just like Hera was in Greek mythology.  
Gwendolyn: I always thought of Demeter as a bit selfish.   
  
Characters added later  
  
Hecate-Vicki/Victoria  
Dionysus-Colin  
Aphrodite-Samantha  
Ares-Brien  
Hermes-Oliver  
  
  
And just WHY did I change their names, everyone? Well, since it is MODERNIZED, you wouldn't name your kid today Zeus, would you?  
If you find any grammatical or spelling errors, please notify me, because I get REALLY anal about mistakes like that, and I will fix it as soon as possible. 


	2. In the beginning

"Benjamin," called voices outside the door. He was too tired to answer.  
"BENJAMIN!"  
"WHAT?!"  
Benjamin's brother and sisters burst into his room and pulled him out of bed.   
"No time to talk." Said Gwendolyn hastily as she shoved a toothbrush slathered with toothpaste into Ben's mouth.  
"mmmph!"  
"You should've been out of bed an hour ago," Jenna told him as she pulled a nice shirt out of his closet and threw it down next to him.  
"I swear sometimes Ben, if we were mortal, you'd be late to your own funeral. I can't believe you forgot what today was." Andrew said as took a pair of his little brother's nicest shoes out from under the bed.  
"Vut by didut!" Benjamin replied with a toothpaste-filled mouth. He ran into his bathroom and spit it into a sink. "But I didn't!" He repeated, this time with an empty mouth.  
"Well, whatever. Dad sent us up here to get you. This is gonna look mighty bad when we're given our realms today," Gwen scolded him  
"But it was supposed to be at 10!" Ben looked back at them as he walked downstairs  
"Tim told us all it had been changed to nine, right girls?" Andrew asked his sisters. They nodded in agreement.  
Timothy. He knew it. Tim didn't tell "us all". He only told everyone else. He wanted me to be late, thought Ben. I've been waiting for this day the past 1,000 years and couple months of my life, and now I'm gonna be late for it. With my stupid luck, I'll probably end up being the god of something stupid like cows.  
Furious, Benjamin stormed into the kitchen. Of course, there sat Tim, a content smirk on his face. He stood up from his chair, walked over to Ben and put his arm around him. Angrily, Ben pushed his arm away.  
"Ben, Ben, Ben...calm down! It's not my fault you're late!"  
"Yes, why ARE you late?" Ben's other sister Erica asked him.  
"Erica, my dear, don't you know? Our young brother here isn't exactly the most timely fellow."  
Ben pulled him aside. "You're such an asshole! You never told me the time was changed to nine!"  
"Well," Tim whispered with a sadistical tone in his voice, "That'll just be our little secret, alright?"  
He couldn't stand it. Tim was always tormenting him. Things would change. He'd show him. Once he was ruler of the gods, he was gonna make Tim the god of...of... well, he didn't know yet. But something that meant he didn't have to see him. Like the ocean, or...THE UNDERWORLD! Yes, that would be perfect! Timothy would be at his mercy. His thoughts were interrupted by Jenna taking him over to a seat.   
"Oh, just ignore him. We all do anyway," she said with a smile.  
If there was one person Ben cared about more than anyone, it was his oldest sister, Jenna. She was always there for him. He didn't quite know why. None of his other siblings usually took a moment to talk to him. But she was different. He was thinking it had something to do with the fact that he was the youngest and she felt this need to protect him. He certainly hoped that she'd be able to go where he went.   
Their father stood at the head of the table."Kids, I know you know why you're here, and clearly all of you-" He saw Benjamin sitting there sulking. "Most of you are excited. So let's get started. The ruler here on Olympus will be one of my sons, and he may choose one of my beautiful daughters as his queen."  
Here it is, thought Ben. So bad he wanted to close his eyes, and just hear his name. But he had his eyes fixed on Timothy's expression. This he just HAD to see. His mind was tuning in and out of what his father was saying, but he definitely heard the last thing said.  
"Without further ado, I present the job of ruler of the Gods to Timothy."  
  
So what do you think so far? Not very exciting, I know. But it'll pick up, I swear to the Gods. 


	3. Wait a second!

Author's note: Avocados are a popular Greek food, or so I've been told. Maybe they're not popular, but they're Greek.  
  
A smile shot across Timothy's face like Paulo drawing the sun across the sky. But it all took a moment for this to register in the minds of Benjamin and Andrew. Then it did.  
"WHAT?!" Andrew exclaimed.  
"THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Benjamin shouted at the same time.  
"Boys, settle down!" Their father warned them. "I've debated for some time which one of you would be the God of all Gods." Benjamin noticed he looked at only Tim and Andrew when he said that. "But I started thinking; Andrew, you're the eldest of my sons, and I do love you dearly, but you've never been one to hold the spotlight well. Remember on the first day of your swimming class you got so frightened that you..."  
"Dad!!" Andrew shot him a look of embarrasment and anger wrapped into one.  
Timothy was obviously savoring the moment. "Dad, I'm wondering why my precious brother Benjamin wasn't chosen. Why if I were you, I would've chosen him!"  
Ben looked down and away from everyone. He wanted to cry from this, but he didn't, as the case always was. All his life he had tried and tried, but he simply wasn't good enough to be ruler. If anything, Andrew should've at least got it. Fighting back the tears, he felt a hand slip into his and give it a gentle squeeze. Looking up, he saw it was Jenna. Thank all the Gods for her. She mouthed "It's okay," to him, and he smiled slight, crooked smile.  
Their father didn't know quite what to say. Stuttering, he finally came up with something. "Benjamin...well, Benjamin, you're a very special young man. But sometimes you just have...shall we say...temper outbursts. I'm not sure I can entrust you with all these people. I don't want you doing anything you may regret."  
Ben exploded. "But then what makes Tim so special!? What does he have that I don't?! He doesn't even work hard, and this is a job that requires commitment. I've always worked hard!"  
"Benjamin, this is the type of behavior I'm talking about. You just get so mad and hold grudges. You have too much anger inside you. Tim here is a people person. He can make good judgement..."  
"He can shove it up his ass for all I care. " Ben mumbled.  
His father looked at him, wondering what was said, but continued, "And he had been talking to me lately about how you and Andrew have been blessed as being my oldest and youngest sons. He's in the middle, and I only think it's fair that he gets something too."  
Figures. Tim had brown-nosed and manipulated Dad like he always did. "I do too, but not something like this!"  
"THAT'S ENOUGH! This is final! I leave the other positions up to Timothy, and...Tim, who would you like to choose as your queen?"  
He gazed at Erica lustfully. "Erica, of course!" She kissed him on the cheek and hugged him tight.  
That's a relief, Ben and Jenna both thought. Ben didn't want Jenna having anything to with Tim, and Jenna herself didn't want anything to do with him.  
Now they could only wait and hope they got a good ruling. Ben wasn't expecting it though. His brother hated him just as much as, if not more than, Ben hated him.  
As soon as their father left the room, Timothy's angelic smile changed to his typical evil grin.  
"Now...what to do about you four," he said looking from Andrew to Gwendolyn to Jenna to Benjamin, and then back to Andrew again.  
Erica put her arm in Tim's. "Don't you think we should have at least one of them stay up here?"  
Without hesitation, Tim responded while running a hand through his dirty blonde spiked hair, "You wouldn't want ALL of them here, sweetie," he told her while glaring at Ben. "Y'know, it might throw off the balance of everything. This should be easy though, 'cuz I think I already made my decisions. "  
The newly-crowned king of the gods walked in front of Andrew. "You're the most simple choice, really. I want you to be involved in something you're good at. And what are you good at?"  
Andrew really had no idea what Tim was getting at, so he just took a wild stab at it. "Swimming?"  
"Precisely, so that would make the God of..."  
"Swimming?!" Andrew interrupted. "Yeah, that's uh... pretty gay."  
"No, I was GOING to say water. You'll be the ocean god."  
Andrew protested "Where am I suppose to live? A giant sand castle?"  
"Yup!"  
"Yeah, that's uh...pretty gay..."  
"You don't sound too happy about it. Be happy, DAMMIT!!"  
"Do you know what would make me happy?"  
"No, Andrew, what would make you happy?"  
"An avocado."  
"Can't help ya, I ate the last one for breakfast."  
"You ate an avocado for breakfast?! That's uh..."  
"I KNOW!!! You think it's 'Pretty gay'!!!"  
"I WANT AN AVOCADO!! DYAAAAAA!!!" Andrew was apparently having a panic attack or something. He was prone to them.  
"Oh shut up. Stop being so manic." Timothy ignored said panic attack.  
Timothy shifted his gaze to Gwendolyn. "Gwen, honey, babe, I'll give you a fun job."  
"Oh, really?" She wasn't buying this for a moment.  
"No, actually, I'm gonna leave that up to Erica."  
Erica giggled and smiled a huge, gleaming, vacuous smile. Ben wondered how in the cosmos he could possibly be related to her.  
"Well, Gwendolyn, you're a veginarian!"  
"Um, that's vegitarian, sweetheart," Tim corrected his slightly air-headed object of affection.  
"Whatever, like that's important! Anyway, Gwen, you'll be goddess of argoculter...acrocoture...plants. But you'll have to live amongst the mortals."  
Gwen was going to comment, but decided against it. It would go right over Erica's head anyway.  
Benjamin and Jenna looked at each other. They knew one was staying here on Olympus, and the other might not.  
Timothy walked behind Jenna, put his hands on the top of the back of her chair, and leaned forward. "Jenna, my lovely. It'd be shame for you to leave. Which is why you're not. And to make sure that you aren't wooed by some mere mortal, I'm gonna set a law for you to follow: You are not allowed to marry. Ever. "   
Jenna spun around in her chair, shocked. "Why?! I want a family more than anything!"  
"Babe, you don't have to get married to have a family. Know what I'm sayin'?"  
"You're demented. I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pillar."  
"And I'm quite aware of that. And seeing as you won't have much time to "be" with Andrew, or Benjamin, if you so desire, I think you just may enjoy your title. From now on you shall be the Goddess of the Home and Family. Think about it: Every family shall worship you, and beg for your blessings. You will probably be among the most loved of all the Gods. After me , of course. But hey, when you're up against me, I don't really expect you to come out on top."   
Jenna couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised. This was almost as great to her as having her own family.  
Timothy nodded to himself, reassuring he was done. "Alright, well, that finishes it! We are having a party tonight welcoming us as the new deities, so I suggest that you all get ready for that, and those of you who are leaving start packing for your departure."  
Benjamin timidly raised his hand. "Excuse me, Tim? What about me?"  
Tim smiled his evil smile straight at Ben. "Thank you for reminding me. You stay. I'd like to designate you your job in private."  
This can't be good, thought Ben. He watched helplessly as his siblings left. He couldn't believe Jenna. She was actually HAPPY with Tim. Leave it to him to take away the important things once again. When they all left, Tim silently closed the door and stared straight at his brother.  
"You honestly don't know what you're getting?"  
In the very back of his head, Benjamin knew. He just didn't want to say it. He'd already gotten fucked over enough that he didn't need this in his life. And maybe if he didn't say it, it wasn't true. He shook his head though.  
"No. I don't."  
"Idiot. You're the God of the Underworld. I want you away from me. Forever. But the job suits you really. You're so depressed and mopey half the time, not to mention pale as anything, that you'd fit in perfectly among the dead. After all, isn't that what you always wanted? To fit in? You finally got it. Also, I recall you saying that you like to work hard. So you will. This job is different than all of ours. It's full-time. Which means you probably won't even have the time to come up here and visit, not that I'd let you. Don't worry though, there are SOME other people down there. Like the Furies, Fates, Charon, and Cerebus. Oh, and plenty of dead people for you to liven up."  
"What do I do, exactly?"  
"Basically, your job is to keep the dead in line and make sure no one pisses in the Styx."   
"Sounds...thrilling." Ben said half-heartedly.  
  
So what do you think of this now? Is it still confusing? I hope not, because I really enjoy writing this. ^.^ 


	4. I hate it

Okay, I am continuing. I know it's hard to keep all the names straight, but please bear with me.  
  
Benjamin peered through his glasses at his reflection in the mirror as he used gel to slick his hair back. Tim was right: He was a little pale. Yeah, well, he was gonna show up at the party and steal the spotlight from Tim. He'd make sure of it. Tightening the knot on his blacker than black tie, he wondered what cologne might attract a fair goddess. Without much thought, he picked his favorite: Death Becomes Her. Once he realized the name of it, he screeched and dropped it. For crying out loud, in his tuxedo, he looked ready for a funeral. It was unavoidable, really. Everywhere he turned, he was fitting the part as Lord of the Underworld. Might as well just suck it up and hold his head high. Though that didn't mean he couldn't be bitter.  
He left his room while putting the cuffs pins on his suit. Jenna was waiting for him leaning against the wall. She was in a long tan satin gown with a topaz brooch near the shoulder.  
"My, don't we look dashing tonight?" She said, looking him up and down.  
"Shut up. The only reason I'm going to this stupid welcoming party for us is because I want the last word between Tim and I before I leave."  
Jenna sighed, exasperated. "Benjamin, don't. It'll only make you look bad in front of Dad and all the other Gods and Titans."  
He wasn't gonna hear this. He started walking at a faster pace so he get downstairs and away from her. She may think she knows what's best for me, he thought, but she doesn't. I do. She grabbed him by the wrist and looked at him with pleading in her eyes.  
"Please?"  
Ben shook his head, knowing there was no use arguing with her. "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you. If Tim says one thing to me about him being better than me, I'm gonna punch him square in the face!"  
Jenna just rolled her eyes and smiled. "C'mon! I don't know about you, but I want my last irresponsible night to be fun. Let's go!" She took Benjamin's hand and led him downstairs where there were dozens of other entities.   
The young one's eyes immediately sought out Tim. Now, Ben wasn't stupid. Of all his brothers and sisters, he was probably the craftiest and most conniving. He was very convincing when wanting to get his way, or when wanting to screw someone over. And that's precisely what he wanted: to humiliate Tim. He put on a party face and walked over to the refreshment table.  
"Tim! Imagine seeing you here!"  
Tim eyed him suspiciously. "Yeah, imagine that...anyway, why ARE you here?"  
"Can't I come to a party to congratulate my own brother? I figure, hey, put all this behind me. It's not like I can do anything about it now, so I oughta just grin it and bear it."  
Obviously half-paying attention, Tim was looking for a quick way to leave his pesky sibling. "For once you do make sense, Ben. And by the way, I need someone to read the introduction. You're a good speaker sometimes. Why don't you do the honors? I honestly can't be bothered right now by your droning."   
"Timothy!"  
"What?! Can't you see I'm busy? I have places to go, things to do, women to seduce..."  
"Aren't you supposed to be with Erica?"  
"Benjamin, I'm SUPPOSED to do a lot of things. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd care not to see you anymore tonight."  
"What am I gonna say for the speech?"  
Tim took a paper out of his tuxedo jacket pocket and thrust it at Ben. "Here's a basic outline of what I wanted someone to say. Just ad lib a bit more, and it'll be great."  
This was perfect. Ben would just play the role of insecure, lowly brother and Tim wouldn't suspect anything. As the night went on, Ben kept to himself, as he always did, and waited for 11:00 to roll around so he could give his speech. Leaning against one of many Grecian pillars, he started to doze off. Luckily, he was startled awake by Jenna.   
"There you are! Everyone's waiting for you to go up and give your speech. I gotta tell you, it's great of you to put this whole rivalry between you and Tim behind you and get on with your life. It did get really tiring seeing you two fight all the time."   
Benjamin leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Yeah...just wish me luck."  
He stepped up to the podium and looked out over the sea of others. Part of him didn't want to be mean to Tim, because it would make him look bad right before his first day on the job. But he couldn't just lie. And it's not like Tim could do anything to make his job worse than it already was. So he crumpled up the paper he had been given and threw it over his shoulder.  
"Tim here...is not a good person. He's cruel, self-absorbed, immoral, and many other things, but I don't have the time to name them all. And to tell you the truth, I think he'd make a terrible, terrible leader..."  
Jenna watched in embarrasement and shook her head. "Oh, Benjamin..."  
Ben continued. "Why he was assigned this task, I don't know. All I know is that-"  
"Hey!" Tim came up on stage with a huge grin on his face and grabbed the mic from Ben. "Isn't that funny folks? Seriously, I had no idea he could be this FUNNY!" He put his arm around Ben. "Kid, be a doll and tell them what you REALLY think!"  
"I...I just did, though." Benjamin whispered to him.  
Tim turned to the crowd and tried to salvage the floundering speech. "Heh, everybody, Benjamin says he's feeling a bit tipsy, y'know, doesn't wanna talk anymore. " Clearly humiliated, he pushed Ben away slightly violently.  
What the hell? He just didn't understand it. The other gods and goddesses didn't seem to notice that Ben WASN'T kidding. He slipped unnoticed out of the party and up to his room. It just made him so uncontrollably angry that no matter what Tim would do, he could get away with it. He had already packed most of his stuff for the next day, so he picked up the first thing he found, the discus he had borrowed from Andrew, and prepared to launch it across the room right at the door in a fitful rage. He stopped at the last second though, because his door opened.  
"Benjamin? Can I come in?"   
"Jenna..I really don't want to hear about this now."  
She came in anyway and sat down on his bed, and he sat by her.  
He could feel tears behind his eyes, but he didn't like to cry in front of her. He couldn't help it though. He just broke down and started sobbing. Jenna held him close to her and tried to calm him.  
"I hate it. I hate it. I hate it..." He repeated over and over.  
  
  
I was gonna add a bit more in the middle, but I didn't really know what to have happen. 


	5. Doesn't ANYONE want my damn pancakes?

Author's note: I am quite aware that Snack Packs didn't exist in Ancient Greece. But this isn't exactly "Ancient" Greece.  
  
He couldn't sleep. He didn't WANT to sleep. Ben rolled out of bed and started pacing back and forth across his room. The clock hanging on his wall chimed three o'clock. By that, he calculated he had about 7 hours before he had to leave. He wished everything could go back to how it used to be. Just the thought of being away from his entire family made him paranoid. What would he do when he need to talk to someone? Or when he wanted to play his board games like Monopoly and BattleArgo? Of all his siblings, he was the least applicable to handle a job that entailed being alone nearly all the time. And in such a horrible place, too.  
Ben walked out of his room and over to Jenna's room. When he was little, he would come over to her room when he couldn't sleep. She always knew what to say to help get all the bad things off his mind. He opened the door slowly, and was surprised to find her awake, lying on the bed.  
"Hey there, Jen."  
"Come here. Quick. I can't take it." She seemed to be about ready to go nuts.  
He hurried over and sat on the bed. "What's wrong?" As soon as he said it, she put a hand over his mouth.  
"Listen."   
Ben closed his eyes and listened carefully for whatever the heck she was talking about. All he could hear were creaking noises that seemed to be coming from one of the rooms next to hers.  
She removed her hand from his mouth. "That. Don't you have ANY idea of where those noises are coming from?"  
Ben wasn't too quick on the uptake. "Well...Tim's room is next to yours and...OH MY GOD!" He pulled her bedspread over his head to drown out the gut-wrenching noises. The last thing he wanted to think about was...THAT.  
"Jenna? Can I just stay here tonight? I think I'll go crazy-go-nuts if I'm by myself."  
"No problem with me." She snuggled up to him and put her head on his chest and put her arm around his waist. "Y'know, I'm really gonna miss this. You're the only sane one here."  
"I suppose I could come and visit once in a while."  
She sighed. "I sure hope so, Ben, I sure hope so."  
He kissed her on the forehead. "Hey, thanks for talkin' to me...just like old times."  
"I loved those. You were so adorable. You'd climb into bed, all scared of something or other."  
"And you'd make me feel safe. Like now." He closed his eyes and sighed as well.  
"Safe from what, exactly?"  
Ben shuddered. "Tim and his...escapades."  
It was the last thing Ben said before both him and Jen fell asleep.  
Benjamin awoke to find Jenna putting her hair up in a messy bun. He sat up, stretched and fell back down on the bed. It was just...wrong to get up at 8:30.  
"Jennnnaaa," he whined. "Why do I have to get up this early?"  
"Hey, consider yourself lucky. Andrew had to get up at 8."  
"Well, Gwen didn't."  
"That's because she went home with Paulo last night."  
"Paulo? Our-cousin-the-Sun-God Paulo?"  
"No, Benjamin. Paulo Consopoulos, from the gyro shop in Athens."  
"Wow, there's more than one Paulo?"  
"NO!! Of course our-cousin-the-Sun-God!"  
"Sheesh, sorrrry. Shoulda figured anyway. I'm going down for breakfast."  
"Bennnn! I was gonna make some pancakes for your last day."  
"Well, maybe I want a Snack Pack instead!"  
"It's your last day here and you want a Snack Pack?"  
"Yes. Yes, I do."  
Benjamin walked downstairs sleepily and groggily opened the refrigerator door. Haha, finally things were going his way. He had gotten the last Snack Pack.  
"Hand over the pudding. Now." It was Andrew, obviously not happy to be awake this early either.  
"I don't get it. First you want an avocado. Then you want a FREAKIN' Snack Pack. WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" He covered it up as to make it unaccessible to Andrew, but his older brother attempted to pry his hands off anyway.  
"You still have to get ready!! I need breakfast NOW!!"  
"Well, I eat breakfast BEFORE I get ready!"  
"GIVE IT!! I'M THE OLDEST, I SHOULD GET IT!!"  
"YOU'RE THE STUPIDEST, SO YOU SHOULD GET A SWIFT KICK IN THE ASS!"  
Ben was pulling on the bottom of the plastic pudding cup, Andrew on the top. They both pulled so hard that it flew out of Ben's hand, across the kitchen, and right to the floor. Jenna walked downstairs and snatched it from off the floor.   
"None of you get the damn Snack Pack! I'm going to make pancakes now for us all."   
Timothy at that moment walked in, dressed in his red silk pajamas, and tore it out of her hand.  
"Hey-hey! A Snack Pack! Fancy that!" He grabbed the spoon that Benjamin had in his hand, and tore it open to enjoy luscious chocolate pudding.   
"Okay, I'm gonna make pancakes for everyone except Timothy," Jenna corrected herself.  
Andrew looked at Ben with disdain. "Can I say it?"  
"Please do."  
"That...now THAT...was pretty gay."  
Timothy sat down on a chair across the room from them. "Boys, you ready to leave? I know I am!"  
"You're not leaving." Andrew told him.  
"No, I meant I'm ready for you two to leave," Tim said, shoving a spoonful in his mouth.  
"So loving. I just don't know why I didn't want to get the hell out of this place." Ben deadpanned.  
"Speaking of getting the hell out of this place, it's time for you two to go."  
"No, no, no, no," Andrew dissagreed with him. "You said we start leaving in about an hour!"  
"Well, since Gwen's out burnin' up the Sun God, you can leave earlier than I said. More convieniant for you, more convieniant for me."  
Both Andrew and Ben were caught off guard. "Actually, Tim, I don't think it's at all convieniant for me," Andrew said.  
"Well, I don't care WHAT you think, Andrew. Besides, did I say more convieniant for you? I just meant for me."  
"Asshole..." Benjamin mumbled under his breath.  
"What was that, Benny?"  
"I CALLED YOU AN ASSHOLE, JACKASS!"  
"Two words: Anger. Management."  
They sat in silence for a bit before Andrew looked at his watch and realized what time it was. "Oh hey, rain check on those pancakes, Jenna. I have to go."  
"Doesn't anyone want any?!"  
"I could really go for some French toast..." Ben started to say.  
Jenna gave the look worthy of death itself.  
"...but pancakes would be great too."  
Jenna walked over to the cabinets and began preparing all the necessities for pancakes.  
"Hey Jenna!! Put some blueberries in mine!!" Timothy happily told her in a sing-songy voice  
"Yes, oh worshipful master!!" She chimed back.  
Benjamin knew if he stayed there one second longer, he'd end up giving Tim a black eye. So he retreated to the stairwell to brood. He didn't notice Andrew come walking down behind him, all set to go.  
"Now, see, this poses a problem. Either I step on you, or you I fall trying to step over you."  
"Then just step on me."  
"Okay, I'm in a bit of a hurry, so I don't have time for long good-byes. I already said my good-byes to Gwen and Jen last night, so you're the only one left."  
"What about Tim and Erica."  
"Like I care about them. Anyways, quit moping. You got Underworld for a reason. Because you're the only one that can handle it. You seriously are. If we could die, the rest of us would want to kill ourselves if we had spend one hour living there. You won't. You'd want to kill yourself if you stayed up here. So hang in there."  
Benjamin moved out of the way as Andrew walked down the steps and gave him a playful kick.  
Ben watched as Andrew left for his designated assignment. "Let's get a move on, Benji!" Tim snapped at him.  
"I'm not ready!"  
"Umm, Ben?" Erica called from her room. "I, like, moved all your stuff outside already."  
Before he could ask how, Tim answered. "Well, actually she threw it out the window. Moved, threw, to each his own."  
"I might want to say good-bye first..."  
"Alright, good-bye. Now leave. I'm cleaning out your room and turning it into my love shack."  
Benjamin went to the top of the steps and pulled down his suitcases. They landed in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. He started to drag them out the door when suddenly Jenna ran up and threw her arms around him, and knocking the bags out of his hands. He could tell that she was crying, so he held her tight for the longest time.  
It broke him up to see her like this. He had so much to say, but he didn't know how to say it. So he just whispered in her ear, "I love you."  
Jenna clumsily wiped away the tears on her face and pulled Ben towards her, kissing him, and certainly catching him off guard.  
"OH, WOULD YOU JUST LEAVE!?" Tim grabbed Benjamin by the arm and tore him away from Jenna, but Ben managed to hold on to her hand as long as immortally possible.  
Once they were outside the gate, Timothy pushed his little brother down on the ground.  
"What the hell?"  
"You don't ever do what you did to me last night, got it? I don't know where you get off thinking you have some kind of power over me, but you don't. I have everything, and you have jack. Next time you pull a stunt like that, I'm banning you from Olympus. Forever."  
Ben stood up, brushing himself off. He had had it. He was NOT going to stand by his entire life and let Tim treat him like this. "Fine. But can I tell you one thing before I leave?"  
Timothy folded his arms across his chest. "What's that?" He asked snidely.  
Benjamin sent a left hook flying, and he hit Tim right in the nose. Before Tim could respond, Ben gathered up his stuff, turned and walked away. 


	6. Take me to the river

"This is hopeless." Benjamin surveyed the desolate plains in hopes of finding the entrance to the Underworld. It was supposed to be here. He just couldn't find it. Maybe it was some great trick, and this was some giant ongoing desert that he'd never escape. He kicked up some dry grass and rocks from the ground and kept looking at his feet as he walked on and on. It was as if he were on some wild goose chase looking for this "Underworld." Continuing to kick the rocks he came across, he kicked one exceptionally hard over a hill and heard a cracking noise.  
"OW!"  
Benjamin ran over the hill and looked down to see a woman in a long, simple black skirt and charcoal grey shirt down by a cave entrance rubbing her shin. So he panicked and hurried down to see if she was alright. He didn't really like women getting mad at him.   
"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry! Let me help, alright."  
"Don't sweat it. Not half as bad as what all the souls have to go through."  
"What are you doing out her though? And what's this cave?"  
"Caron. The ferrywoman to the Underworld. And this would be, well, the Underworld. Duh. You must be Benjamin."  
"Yeah. How-how did you know?"  
"Well, no one ELSE would come here unless they had good reason to. And seeing as you're the newly appointed ruler of this place, we kinda figured you'd be coming."  
He started walking next to the tall, thin redhead. She was strikingly beautiful, but she could also probably beat him up too if he hit on her.   
"So...So! Anyone in the Underworld I need to be warned about?"  
"Not really. You're in charge. You can do whatever you want. Just tell Vicki about it first. Don't want her getting too mad..."  
"Hold up...Vicki? Who's that? I wasn't told about any Vicki."  
"Oh, she's the Goddess of Sorcery and Witchcraft."  
"Goddess?" Ben wasn't informed about any Goddess. He was just told he'd spend eternity in a void of souls.  
"There's also Cerberus the three-headed dog," Caron went on. "Oh and the Fates stop by occasionally."  
"There's a Goddess?!" Ben repeated.  
"Heh, yeah."   
"A Goddess. As in...a female God. There. Forever." He had become a typical male, slobbering over women.  
Caron smiled. She could tell Ben was a bit excited about this. "Yeah. A God. With breasts."  
"I definitely like those."  
"Breasts?"  
"The whole package."  
She giggled a bit. "Now I know you're definitely related to Tim. You act like him."  
"First of all, don't ever, ever compare me to him, and second of all, you KNOW my brother?!"  
Caron was embarrassed a bit at the mention of him. "In a way, yes."  
This made Ben a bit suspicious. "What KIND of way, exactly?"  
The memories didn't seem too pleasant to her. "Him and I used to be...a couple. When I wanted to break up with him, he was so upset that as soon as a DID dump him, I was doomed to do THIS for eternity. Taking peoples' souls to the Underworld."  
Aha, Ben thought. An opportunity to put his power to work. "If you want, just say the word, and you're outta here."  
"No can do. Tim put me here, only he can take me out. "  
"But I'M in charge of the Underworld!"  
"Yes, but he's in charge over you."  
"Let me get this straight? I'm the big shot here, but he STILL tells me what to do?"  
Caron nodded, "Yup. Sorry, but that's the way it goes. He's a jerk sometimes."  
"That's been a very popular opinion as of recently."   
"That's a popular opinion as of ALWAYS."  
"Just answer me this: Do you think I'm better than him?"  
She put his arm around his shoulder. "Kid, believe me, I don't know you that well yet, but I'm POSITIVE you're better than him. He's a pig."  
Benjamin smiled in contentment. "I think we'll get along nicely."  
They walked, and walked, and walked some more until finally they reached the dock at the River Styx. Caron stepped onto the boat and helped Ben on too.  
"I can't believe you spend all day doing this. It's so...gloomy."  
"Not unlike your job, right? There are perks to my day though. Like Oliver. He always has something to gossip about when he brings a soul down. And if he doesn't, I can always look at him."  
Ben wasn't going to say anything. His cousin the messenger God? With little winged sandals? Yeah, those plus the caudacus must be a real turn-on for ladies.  
He should've shut her up then. But it was too late. She went into an extremely long story about how the met, and how great he is, as if Ben didn't know him or anything.   
"First of all you wouldn't BELIEVE how sweet his is. I thought that once Tim had caused me all that trauma I'd never be able to love again, but one day, this gorgeous man flew down on his winged sandals..."  
I think I'm in Hell, thought Ben. Oh wait, I am. Nevermind. There had to be something though. SOMETHING he could do to prove to anyone in charge that he was capable at it. Not to diss the Underworld or anything, but it didn't seem all that tough to run. And Tim's damn ego was inflating by the moment. He should be the one finding out what it's like to be challenged, not Ben. Maybe instead of trying to make Tim look bad, he should make himself look good. Or vice-versa. He didn't quite know yet.  
He looked up at Caron as he caught the end of her monologue.  
"...and I just really think that Tim should learn his lesson. I know I wouldn't have met some of the great people I have if I didn't do this job, but it's not exactly the thing I had in mind to do. Tim just gets away with way too much, y'know?"  
Could this chick read his thoughts or what?  
He nodded slowly. "Yeah...yeah, I DO know."  
"Know what?" A voice asked him.  
Ben turned his head to fix his view on the person standing in front of him, and when he saw her, he KNEW it was her. She had black hair cascading down her back and a long,flowing, lacy, deep violet and black dress. If he had to spend forever in this pit of hell with any Goddess, he sure was glad it was her.  
"Hello." She held out a hand for him to shake. "It's Benjamin, right?"  
What was he going to say to her? It had to be something suave, debonair, and charming. Something that would give an outstanding first impression.  
He stared at her with wide eyes and said exactly what was on his mind. "Uhh...guh?"  
UH-GUH?! WHAT THE HELL?! 


End file.
